FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2026
Fuel Accelerator Launches 7th AI/ML Cohort, Kicks Off Aug. 25
Startup Junkie program to bring 12 ventures to NWA for 10 weeks
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Startup Junkie Foundation’s Fuel Accelerator kicks off its Fall 2026 AI/ML cohort next Tuesday, Aug. 25, at Compton Gardens in downtown Bentonville, welcoming 12 artificial intelligence and machine learning ventures for 10 weeks of expert-led curriculum, mentorship and curated introductions to enterprise customers across the Heartland.
The class is Fuel’s seventh AI/ML cohort and its 13th overall since Startup Junkie launched the program in 2018. The companies come from seven states and Argentina, and three are Arkansas-based. They will work in person from the Fuel program headquarters inside the Learning Lab at The Collaborative, a University of Arkansas facility in the Greenway Office Park campus in downtown Bentonville, up to the Showcase Day on Oct. 28.
“Many leaders in both startup and corporate are invested in the ongoing wave of AI innovation but these stakeholders are not often enough in the same room. This group of innovators have developed impressive, enterprise-ready solutions and we are thrilled to be a conduit to commercial success, addressing real enterprise problems, here in Arkansas,” said Program Director Grace Gill. “This cohort spans legacy focus, including supply chain, retail and logistics, as well as cutting edge solutions across cybersecurity, development and public safety.”
See the list of companies in attached release.
“We know how valuable time is. And these founders, most of whom will be traveling in from all over the country, are committing 10 weeks of that time to participate in this program,” said Caleb Talley, executive director of Startup Junkie Foundation. “We don’t take that for granted, and we appreciate the trust they’re putting into Fuel and our team, and we’re eager to show up, deliver an impactful experience, and allow our ecosystem to exceed their expectations. We’re so grateful, too, to AEDC and the Walton Family Foundation for making the work possible.”
Gill, who has supported ten Fuel cohorts since joining the Startup Junkie team, enters her second year leading the Fuel program. She is joined by Operations Manager Danny Duong, a certified Project Management Professional and an alumnus of an early Startup Junkie accelerator, along with returning Mentor in Residence Permjot Valia, a globally recognized pitch coach and serial entrepreneur who also founded MentorCamp, which was hosted in Arkansas this summer for the first time in over a decade. Fuel also welcomes back go-to-market expert and curriculum advisor Andrew Goldner, co-founder and CEO of GrowthX. A robust roster of local mentors, subject-matter experts and enterprise volunteers round out the network of support awaiting this year’s cohort.
Fuel was launched by Startup Junkie Foundation in 2018 and has run 12 cohorts spanning AI/ML, HealthTech, supply chain logistics and cybersecurity. Its 98 alumni ventures represent 21 states and 11 countries. More than 30 out-of-state companies opened and still operate a local office or ongoing presence in Arkansas, and more than 10 founders relocated their headquarters to the state, some before the program concluded. Fuel alumni have raised more than $260 million to date, including more than $60 million during or within a year of participating, and secured more than 150 enterprise pilots or contracts during or following the program. More than 300 new jobs have been created by Fuel cohort companies, according to alumni update surveys, along with hundreds of ongoing relationships with local mentors, ecosystem partners and enterprise clients.
Fuel is a no-cost, equity-free program made possible by the financial support of the Arkansas Economic Development Commissionand the Walton Family Foundation. Startup Junkie was one of two organizations to receive multiple accelerator grants from AEDC in 2026, and Fuel was the only program to earn two of the twelve awards issued through the Arkansas Business and Technology Accelerator Grant Program.
The entrepreneurial and enterprise community is invited to welcome the cohort at the kickoff Tuesday, Aug. 25, beginning at 5:30 p.m., at Compton Gardens, 312 N. Main St. in Bentonville. The evening will feature brief introductions from each founder of themselves and their venture, bookended by networking and refreshments. The event is no-cost and RSVP is required here. For more information about Fuel Accelerator, visit fuelaccelerator.com.
August 17, 2026
CONTACT
Caleb Talley Grace Gill
[email protected] [email protected]
479-879-7997 316-305-1386
